Jan
16
“Contra conventional wisdom, bilingual children are not delayed in language acquisition.In fact, words learned before age 5 have an added emotional kick, regardless of how many languages are learned. Because the young child’s brain is developing so quickly, across so many regions, the words learned during this critical period carry thick visual and emotional associations. For English speakers, “knife” is encoded not just as the utensil itself, but also as a cold, shiny, sharp, and dangerous object. Later-life linguistic associations aren’t as rich: a knife is pretty much just a knife. That’s why some people feel more emotional resonance in their native tongue.”
Double Talk | Psychology Today
Stephanie Booth is a freelance internet geek who lives in Lausanne, Switzerland. Digital Crumble is where she dumps all sorts of interesting stuff she finds online.
